18 Owners Say Get Vincent Out

Baseball Owners Vote For Fay Vincent's Resignation. He Says No Way. Threat Of Lawsuit May Deter Some

September 4, 1992|By Murray Chass, New York Times

ROSEMONT, ILL. — Major-league club owners, by a vote of 18-9 in a secret ballot, said Thursday they did not have confidence in Fay Vincent as a commissioner who could move baseball forward ''effectively and constructively'' and asked him to resign immediately.

Vincent, who did not attend the meeting at which he and his performance were debated, was informed of the owners' resolution by National League President Bill White. Shortly afterward, Vincent issued a statement saying he would not resign.

In a five-page letter to owners two weeks ago, the commissioner said, ''I will not resign - ever.'' In his statement Thursday night, he said, ''I affirm that decision today.'' His term expires March 31, 1994.

Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox, one of Vincent's earliest and fiercest opponents, said the owners did not discuss what they would do if Vincent refused to resign. However, it is very likely that if Vincent doesn't accede to the majority's wishes, they will try to fire him at a meeting in St. Louis next week.

Neither Reinsdorf nor anyone else said that, but the White Sox's owner noted that Thursday's specially called meeting would be reconvened in St. Louis at 11 a.m. Wednesday. That would be before the regularly scheduled league meetings later that day and before the owners meet jointly in their regular quarterly meeting the following day, a meeting the commissioner usually chairs.

Asked if Vincent would run the joint meeting, Reinsdorf said, ''If he still is the commissioner on the 10th of September, when the regular meeting is called, then he will run the meeting.''

It was not known if all 18 owners who voted against Vincent would support a move to fire him. Some may be deterred by the threat of a long legal battle. Vincent has said he would fight an attempt to fire him all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Although some of Vincent's supporters among the owners had been skeptical that his opponents could muster enough votes to ask him to resign or fire him, some owners who had been viewed as uncommitted apparently were swayed by the number of clubs that spoke against him at Thursday's 3 1/2-hour meeting.

Among the clubs that were pivotal in the vote were the expansion Colorado Rockies, the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners, three teams that had been described as uncommitted. The Atlanta Braves, who had been thought to support Vincent, also joined the opposition. The Kansas City Royals, whose owner, Ewing Kauffman, was quoted last week as supporting Vincent, also were believed to have voted for the resolution.

Voting against the resolution were the New York Mets, the Houston Astros, the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox, the Oakland Athletics, the Texas Rangers, the Montreal Expos and the expansion Florida Marlins. The Detroit Tigers, whose new owner, Mike Ilitch, took over only a week ago, were believed to be the ninth team supporting the commissioner.

Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott left the meeting early and did not vote.

''Of course, it is disappointing that a significant number of owners have expressed a lack of confidence and asked for my resignation,'' Vincent said in his statement. ''I appreciate the confidence of those supporting me. In my letter of Aug. 20, 1992, I informed the owners that I would not resign, and I affirm that decision today. I believe strongly that a baseball commissioner should serve a full term as contemplated by the Major League Agreement; only then can difficult decisions be made impartially and without fear of political repercussions. Baseball deserves a cooperative, constructive effort by all of us.''

The owners of all 28 clubs, or their representatives, attended the meeting at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, which also had been the site of the meeting in 1982 at which Bowie Kuhn's eventual departure as commissioner was sealed. Some owners who had indicated they wouldn't be at the meeting showed up. Vincent, on the other hand, had said he would not attend and did not. He was in his office in New York.

Whatever happens with Vincent and the rest of his term, it seems almost certain that the owners will restructure the office before they hire another commissioner.